Sucks to Be Me

First Fangs Club

By: Kristen Painter

Narrated by: B.J. Harrison

Length: 10 hrs and 1 min

Publisher's summary

When 49-year-old Belladonna Barrone’s mobbed-up husband does her the favor of dying in a car accident, she thinks she’s finally free of the crime family she unwittingly married into. Then the boss tells her that she has to complete her husband’s last job before that freedom is truly hers. 

No big deal, she figures. Until things go south in ways she never imagined. Suddenly she’s thrust into a whole new world that makes the mob look like kindergarten. Vampires and werewolves are real? How is that freaking possible? 

Her dreams of a new life disappear faster than wine at book club as more problems arise from her husband’s dark dealings and the unbelievable complications caused by her supernatural entanglements. Only her strength and determination (and some wild new friends) will see her through this next chapter, but the odds are against her. 

How much more can her life suck? She’s about to find out....

©2020 Kristen Painter (P)2020 Kristen Painter

Meh

While many people found this book a fun read, I find the main character entitled and childish. Every problem she comes across just requires her to give a stern talking to someone to solve (or magically erased). She's basically a "Karen."

She whines about having a mob husband who drapes her in riches and then conveniently dies. She whines about being at a normal weight and having to diet (and now is magically skinny on top of being gorgeous). She whines about being magically gifted and being immediately adored by powerful and handsome men who she can't bang because it would be wrong.

The system always works for the main character. Everyone who meets her admires her and wants to be her friend. The friends she makes solve all her actual problems and there is a man who wants nothing but to serve her and bask in her glory.

I can't say I identify with her. I actually want someone to punch her in the nose. I held out to the end of the book to see if it became more interesting or complex... but sadly no.

There are elements in the book that are promising and posed a different way may be a good premise for a fluffy fun novel... but that would be an entirely different book.

male narrator?!?!

I dont understand why a man is narrating this book when the main character is a woman.

Boring

I know the title says boring but that's giving this book too much credit. Calling it boring would mean that I invest some time into Cari g about the story.

The main character spends so much time thinking about stuff that I don't care about. I do t care that you need to work and look good for your mobster husband, I don't care about the make overs or nail salons. I don't care that you can move because your kids are gone. (That's something she mentions at least five times a chapter). Most of all I don't care if you eat the cheesecake.

I came here because of the paranormal angle and for far I'm on chapter 7 and I haven't found it.

Fun, funny and relatable new heroine!!

I just finished listening to Sucks To Be Me and I really enjoyed it. B.J. Harrison does a great job narrating the story. This book is very “clean” on the content for those who appreciate that sort of thing (no lurid sex scenes or cursing etc). I usually go for a little more spice in my reading preferences, but Kristen Painter creates lively characters and fun plot kept me more than entertained!

Main character is so UNLIKEABLE

Spoiler alert! I love Kristen Painter, I love B. J, Harrison - Will I stop listening to this series? ABSOLUTELY NOT!
BUT... The main character is so entitled, so annoying, as I listen to the book - I actually root against her! The way she became the GOVERNOR was absolute BS - she blamed her sire for mistakes SHE MADE - she is all mighty and high about being so good and what not, but pulls this stunt, take responsibility for your actions, Everyone she meets puts her on a pedestal - OH HOW ANNOYING THAT IS!!!!!!!! And the characters that do not like her are evil ... CAN YOU SEE ME ROLLING MY EYES? PPPSSHHH

Awesome new series!

I love this first book in a new series by Kristen Painter. It’s wonderful to have older heroines that I can relate to. This story of a mafia wife’s struggle to get free complicated by her accidental conversion into a vampire is by turns scary and hilarious. Add in a potential love triangle and I can’t wait for book two.

BJ Harrison does an amazing job narrating and adds even more layers to the characters.

Just plain F-U-N!

For Belladonna, being a mob wife was not what she wanted but it was so easy compared to being a vampire, another life she fell unwillingly into! What she does have though is experience and a whole lot of just go with it! Her two worlds have collided and turns out even her sister knows more about it than her. Let midlife begin.

A great cast of characters, lots of twists and turns, full of laughs and just plain F-U-N.

Different take on over 40 books

I really like B. J. Harrison, and have listened to many books by this author.

This book was just okay for me. I was excited to have a female of a mid-age, and some of this was funny, but the constant reminder of her age, and the "perfect body" now that she is a vamp totally negates the "it's okay to be 40".

But, on the other had, it was great that Bella was totally fixated on sex, All the time. I liked the first fang club, and the friends. Bella’s sister is great also.

** just re-listened to this book and liked it much better the second time. 😊

Kristen Painter does a perfect romance novel for my liking. Romance, but not graphic sex porn. I have many of her books.

Protagonist is a complete tool.

The majority of the book seems to be poorly thought out middle-class haughtiness the woman directs toward her husband and others near her. Some illusory stature in society as a "good" person would seem justify any betrayal. The protagonist is a combination of self indulgent and virtue signaling that I found myself despising almost immediately.

wow, great first book

It starts a little slow, but when it gets rolling, boy does it go. If a fun and sexy romp. Worth the credit.

This book sucks

I hate having to give this book such low stars but I really can't mark it any higher. I bought this since Kristen Painter is a must buy author for me. I thought I was going to love that the main character was older, not model slim and not athletic at all but. ***************SPOILER************* apparently getting bitten by a Vampire rectifies all that instantly and the MC goes from newbie vamp to boss in just a few short pages. This is one series I will give a miss to.

Great if you like vampires shopping habits

Engaging, but lots of words wasted on clothing choices, things went too smoothly for the heroine to be quite believable

A story not just a sex romp.

finally, a book that holds my attention from start to finish. Loved the reader. Full marks from me.

A Wonderful New Series I can Sink My Teeth Into.

I've read and enjoyed a few other books by Kristen Painter but this one felt slightly different: less light-hearted. This is a good thing as the setting for this book needed more weight. I love that Kristen can tweak her writing style to accommodate different reading genres and I absolutely love that her main character in this new series is a middle-aged woman. I did chuckle and smile, recognising many nods to women of my age, although, I wish some of Donna's trademark middle-aged qualities hadn't disappeared - I wear my middle-aged trademarks as badges of honour.

As with the other books I've read, I found this book very easy to read and loved Kristen's writing style. I engaged quickly with our protagonist, Belladonna aka Donna as she demonstrated all the personality traits that I crave in a main character; she was intelligent, resilient, resourceful and had plenty of gumption. Although Kristen wasn't breaking the mould with any of her characters, I enjoyed that she created a wealth of them with various personalities and roles to play to progress the story. I really enjoyed the plot with all its twists and turns, and enjoyed how some of the story threads were satisfactorily concluded by the end while others were left to continue into the next book.

I downloaded the narration and enjoyed B.J. Harrison's performance; the story is written from the point of view of our protagonist, Donna, and I think the pace of his narration captured her maturity and personality. I liked his vocal variances during the dialogue for the different characters in this story, however, for me, he didn't seem to capture the mood in the narrative from scene to scene.

I don't think that there's any offensive content within these pages - language, violence or sex although some of the implied violence linked with the mafia theme is frightened - so I would recommend this book to lovers of second-chance stories, about standing up for what's right and creating your own destiny even if the paranormal genre isn't your usual thing.

Empowering women over the age of 40

Who doesn’t like a good book with vampires in it. And having the lead lady be in her late 40’s is a nice refreshing change. Can’t wait to see what happens in book 2&3

Thoroughly Recommended

Yet another brilliant story written by Kristen Painter. I thoroughly enjoyed the telling from start to finish and can’t wait to start on the next one.
Her characters always burst off of the page and you fall into their lives completely.
Thank goodness these books are converted into audible files as I can never put them down and being able to listen to them while I get on with my daily life is fantastic!!
The narrator has the sexiest most velvety voice too so the book is a winner all round for me.
Book 1 is a great start to a great series from Kristen. I am really looking forward to more.

Loved it!!

I always like the story’s but this one was particularly good and I hope there will be more of Donna and Pierce.
The narration was superb by B J Harrison and I am in awe of his accents and voice repertoire.
Thoroughly enjoyable.

Wonderful adventure

Having read this series 5 or 6 times now, I enjoy it more each time I listen. I would love to hear more about the characters stories

Not the usual vampire story.

It was an unusual vampire story and took a while for me to get interested in story. Well read and got more enjoyable.

sorry but no

i thought it would be good. but the main character (for me) is difficult to empathise with.